'Surprised': Enormous Asian Hornet Nest Discovered in Toilet Block

A large Asian hornet nest has been discovered in a toilet block in Jersey, the Channel Islands.

Jane Osborne, a volunteer hornet tracker in St Lawrence, Jersey, discovered the nest after tracking it down for a few days.

"I have been tracking Asian hornets for several years, working as a volunteer and this nest started in the [usual] way: A member of the public reported seeing hornets in their garden so I put out some bait, then marked the hornets, timed how long they flew for then followed their path," Osborne told Newsweek. "After a couple of days I entered a very overgrown area with some buildings that were no longer in use. I could see them flying in and out of a doorway, so I approached with care, peered round the door and there they were!"

Asian hornets are indigenous to southeast Asia. They are an invasive species to the UK, having accidentally entered Europe in 2004. Some can be about 2 inches long.

"I was very surprised. I have found Asian hornet nests, up trees, in bramble patches and even in a polytunnel but never in a toilet! I was not in any danger. I did not get up close to the nest, as I know they can attack if their nest is being threatened," Osborne said. "I was very careful to approach the door quietly, as they were flying in and out of the doorway with regularity and speed. I leave the nest destruction to the experts, and they wear protective suits."

The next day, fellow hornet hunter John De Carteret arrived in a protective suit with a vacuum to remove the nest. On a Facebook post, De Carteret said the "very busy nest" was surrounded by a "constant stream" of Asian hornets.

The nest was full of hornets carrying "prey parcels," which feed the larvae inside, according to De Carteret.

The growing larvae would have eventually hatched, causing an influx of the species to emerge in the spring of 2023.

There has been growing evidence that Asian hornets are spreading even further across the U.K. The species are a threat to honeybees, which are a threatened species and vital to the surrounding ecosystem.

Hornet hunters are currently in a "last ditch" attempt to track down hornets and get rid of them before the larvae hatch.

"There are dangers in dealing with these insects, but, normally, these are only at their nest sites.… Close up to their nests, [there] is always a danger, especially when the nest is at a level where people can come into contact [it] is very dangerous, [as] each Hornet can sting multiple times," De Carteret told Newsweek. "I recently vacuumed up a live nest, where there were about 2,000 actively flying, and probably as many larvae at different stages yet to emerge. These Asian hornets are aggressive around their nests and will react to any disturbance near their nest."

De Carteret said this huge nest was an average size for this species.

"But we've had some very big ones getting up to nearly a [3 feet]," he said. "The species we have here is the one which the U.K. government is currently concerned about. There was a nest recently found in Raleigh, Essex. This was the only one on mainland U.K. so far this year…whereas we are currently at 158."